England Under-21s to get early taste of summer Czech base

The Three Lions are in Prague on Friday 27 March to face the host nation of June’s Euro Finals, the first of two testing warm-up games.

But Southgate and his squad will spend four days preparing for that match in the town of Olomouc, where they will also be staying for their group fixtures in the Euros.

Situated in the south-east of the country and 150 miles from the capital Prague, the Under-21 squad will get a taste of what will be home for them this summer by using the same resort and training facilities which they are booked into for June.

And head coach Southgate believes that will only aid his players for when they return there in a more pressured situation in three months.

"It means when we go back there in June, we’ll be fully aware of our surroundings," he told TheFA.com. 

"We will have had a chance to make any adjustments to it, in terms of what it looks like when we’re not working and the facilities that we’ve got when we need to work.

"It’s about the attention to detail we’re looking for when we do go back in the summer which we’re looking to put into place."

Southgate will name his squad for the trip, which is followed up with a game against Germany in Middlesbrough, next Thursday.

This will be the last meet-up for the group before the end of the season and sees two more fellow finalists in opposition, following on from the games with Portugal and France last November.

And having already spent time in Czech Republic for the Euro draw last November and a preparation trip to Olomouc since then, Southgate is now looking forward to a return with his staff and squad.

"When I went to Czech Republic for the draw, it was clear that they’re very proud to be hosting the tournament and it’s going to be well supported," he revealed.

"We want to get a real feel for the local region in Olomouc and start to build relations with the people there and hopefully they can relate to us in the summer and support us."

Tickets for the game with Germany at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough are on sale now. Call 0844 499 1234 for tickets or click here for more details.